Cornish Hen Under a Brick Recipe

Classic Mediterranean flavors such as lemon, garlic and olive oil are used to season this tender hen. It's then seared in a hot skillet and weighted with a foil-wrapped brick before being finished off in a hot oven. The weight of the hot brick helps the poultry cook more quickly, so the meat stays moist.—Taste of Home Cooking School, Greendale, Wisconsin

Ingredients

Directions

Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone of the hen; remove backbone and discard. With a sharp knife, split the hen in half through the breast bone. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

Grate lemon peel and place peel in a small bowl. Add parsley, steak seasoning and garlic; mix well. Loosen skin on chicken and rub seasonings under and on skin. Brush hen halves with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Preheat oven to 400°. Heat remaining olive oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place hen halves in skillet, skin side up. Cook until well-browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the hen halves over. Place 1-2 clean foil-wrapped bricks on top of the hen halves. Bake for 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180°.Yield: 2 servings.

Originally published as Cornish Hen Under a Brick in Taste of Home Cooking School Collection
Spring 2007, p57